DaVinci Decathlon

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
One of the world’s greatest thinkers and scholars. His career spanned an enormous range of disciplines: art, architecture, cartography, poetry, academics, anatomy, mechanical and military engineering, mathematics and astronomy. He demonstrated a superior ability to perceive the interconnected nature of knowledge and embraced learning with a lifelong passion and determination to uncover what was hitherto unknown by his society. His bold and imaginative intellectual legacy is a permanent challenge for the leaders and thinkers of the twenty-first century.

What is the da Vinci Decathlon?

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of students, who compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines.

The da Vinci Decathlon began in 2005 as an exciting offshoot of the very successful da Vinci Program for gifted and talented students at Knox Grammar School. The Decathlon is designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.

Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College is pleased to collaborate once again with Knox Grammar School by acting as a host or “Chapter” school to offer this exciting “Decathlon with a Difference” to schools in the wider Hunter Region and Regional NSW.

Each team of eight students competes in the following disciplines:

• Mathematics – problem solving, number patterns and logic puzzles
• English – spelling, word origins, definitions, textual analysis and writing tasks
• Science – engage with higher level scientific concepts and test your ability to apply them
• Code Breaking – decipher complex, mysterious codes
• Engineering Challenge – a design task that tests problem solving skills, creativity and ingenuity
• Ideation – The process of creating NEW ideas
• Creative Producers – create and perform a 60sec drama or 30sec commercial to promote a product
• Art and Poetry – develop an original poem and a connected art work on a given theme
• Cartography – interpret spatial information, decipher and create imaginative maps
• Legacy – *NEW CATEGORY* replaces the task previously known as 'General Knowledge' with a focus on honouring significant people, inventions and events from the past and the present.

All tasks in the da Vinci Decathlon emphasise higher order thinking skills – assisting students to develop their abilities in analysis, synthesis and creativity.  Knox Grammar School has collated some excellent resources and practice papers to assist with training your teams, these can be found at www.davincidecathlon.com/davinci/resources

The Hunter Region da Vinci Decathlon is open to teams of eight students in Years 5 through 10.  Schools should aim to select students who are able to complement each other in the various disciplines.  One staff member is required to accompany the team and will be expected to assist with marking on the day.

2020 Hunter Region da Vinci Decathlon Competition Information

Theme:  Icons

Dates:
Tuesday 28th April, 2020 - Years 9 and 10
Wednesday 29th April, 2020 - Years 5 and 6
Thursday 30th April, 2020 - Years 7 and 8  

Venue: Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College - Francis Batty Hall. 256 Minmi Road, Fletcher, NSW.

Time: 8:00am arrival for an 8:30am start.  The day will conclude at approx. 3:00pm

Registration Fee: $200 per team (Inc. GST)

Prizes:

• All participants will receive a Participation Certificate.
• Certificates awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each of the 10 Disciplines.
• Medallions will be awarded for 1st place in each year group division.
• A Perpetual Trophy will be awarded to the school who places first in each year group division.
• The best overall team in each year group gains subsidised entry from the Regional decathlon to the NSW (State) da Vinci Decathlon hosted by Knox Grammar School in May.

Please register your intention to participate via the "Register Now" button below.  Your school will also be able to download an invoice for payment.

Closing Date:  Entries close Friday 20th March, 2020 (unless full earlier).

Due to interest in the event, places are limited and we recommend you register your team/s as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

If you would like further information about how your school can become involved in the 2020 da Vinci Decathlon - Hunter Region, please contact Kim Hugo on 02 4979 8412 or  via email:  events@btac.nsw.edu.au